They Belong To Me
by Gnattine
Summary: They belong here. They belong with me. They belong to me.
1. Mine

Fuck off, Totoko. You're insignificant. You're being a nuisance. Leave me the hell alone. Stooping to asking _me_ for a date? Tch. Pathetic.

With barely a glance at this helpless bimbo, I went back inside, dragging my feet. I couldn't be bothered to do anything. Entering the deserted bedroom, void of 5/6ths of its usual contents, I plant myself in the center of our- ..._my_ room.

Why, exactly, WHY did they go? Did they really think they could just leave? Ugh. They belong here. They belong with me. They belong _to_ me! They are MINE. I was there when they were born. I was there when they grew up. I was their leader. No... I_ am_ their leader. How dare they leave, not only without permission, but against orders! I...

No. As the leader, I cannot allow this. I am the oldest, it is my job to keep us together. By any means necessary, I will get them back.

They cannot leave me.


	2. Chapter 2

Monotonous.

The only way to describe his current life.

It begins when he wakes up, earlier than he'd prefer, but he's so used to the alarms that normally wake him. He wishes he could just stay asleep. After all, what's the point?

He eats breakfast alone, always too much food left over. It annoys him so much.

After breakfast, he often finds himself curled in Ichimatsu's corner, or up where Karamatsu liked to sit on the roof. He gets now why his first younger brother spent so much time up here. It's serene. You can see so much from up here. So much insignificance. Random, nearly faceless people meandering about, going on with their worthless lives.

He is called in for lunch. Kaa-san made his favourite, yet again. Of course she did. Who else was she really cooking for? Back when.., she'd give everyone their favourite about once a week when she could, the six of them and their Tou-san. She seemed to enjoy everything all the same, I guess. Or she was selfless. Who knows. Who cares.

Osomatsu can hardly even taste the food he forces down his throat. And, again, far too much for him. Too many leftovers. Makes him want to rid himself of his recent meal.

He manages to keep it down, and continues on with his day. What day is it? Does it even matter? Again, he doesn't even pay attention to his actions. He thinks he probably stayed at home today, but even he isn't sure.

He eats dinner without thought, not caring, his mind still bouncing between thinking about his brothers, or just not even thinking at all. After all, he's a jobless, friendless, hopeless NEET. Without the brothers he loves, needs, lost, what does he have to live for?

He goes for a long walk, passing by the places often visited by his little brothers, remaining there for a little while. He misses all of them. So fucking much.

Coming upon the bridge Karamatsu frequented, he stares at himself in the water. He gives himself a familiar 'heh', before beginning; "Ah, this is truly a dilemma, is it not? A guilty guy such as myself, faced with such a situation. Is this my curse, then? To watch as all I love leaves me?"

But that makes him realize...does he really have to sit back and watch? Is there really nothing he can do?

OF COURS E THERE'SSOMETH ING HE CAN DO.

Renewed determination fills his mind as he returns home in the dark. His parents are doting, especially to a child in need. He knows them better than anyone.

He dipped his sushi into the sauce, doing all he could to ignore his surroundings. Jyushimatsu was being his usual, bumbling, idiotic, stupid self. Kept bumping into him. Despite his own warnings, even Karamatsu's warnings, the pathetic dumbass wouldn't listen. Obviously it would be enough to mak e hisap ath e tic re solv e B̷̛̦̟̽͗͒̈́͆͊͗̐̎͠ŕ̸̰͇̮͖͆̌̔̇̀̃̊͂̓̽̽͝ ̵̩̒͊̑̎̋̃̽ę̴̛̦̭͈͕͍͍̤͖͎͇͖̊̋̓̀̆̈͊̕A̷̠̲͕̖̺̩̿̔͂̆́͋̓͘͠ͅͅ ̶̧̛͓͉̼͍͊̽̍̂̏̀͌͗̈́̐̓́k̶̨̨͍̥̭̰̪̹̝͛̉͆͗͛͋̒̐̆̓̈́͗͋͜.

Jyushimatsu pushed him too far. Before he could put the yellow brother back in his place, the blue one had the fuckin gn erv eto punch him. The events following were a blur, Karamatsu bitching him out, the both silently setting up the futon and going to sleep, and Choromatsu leaving the following morning. Among his thoughts, he considered how his other brothers would be su ret o- -

He instantly retaliated Todomatsu's attack, remorseless, leaving a massive blemish on his youngest brother's face. Even seeing the black eye form, he did not care. Todomatsu had it coming. He deserved it.

And then, the little manipulative, despicable youngest actually had the ne rve to actually fucking leave. Where did he even get the money for that, the selfish bastard…

While he was distracted, internally reprimanding the two brothers who left, he overlooked the most useless, pointless, selfless little brother, who followed his long-assigned partner's cue to leave. And that infuri ated Osomatsu.

He was the eldest, and yes he allowed, and even endorsed them all to somewhat abuse his immediate younger brother, and even though Choromatsu had essentially taken his place as second in command, Karamatsu should still accept and appreciate his own sacrifices and responsibilities as the second eldest, even with no benefits. P ainful motherfu cke rdidntdeserve benefits. Without being the one to bear the others' aggression, what was he even good for? He forgot his place. They were all forgetting their place. There was a status quo they needed to keep to, after all.

And then, somehow, Jyushimatsu OFA LL PP EOPLE, landed a goddamn job?! Just how desperate were these people to hire _him_?! Tch. Pathetic.

Huh… 4 down, I see….

And of course, the one least likely to amount to anything, the dark, depressive, shitty piece of complete trash, decided to leave; without money, without a job, without a plan, without so much as a place to fucking go. It's like the moron was begging to die in a back alley like the inconsequential shit he was.

They'd learn.

They would all learn.

Everyone…


	3. Chapter 3

He pulls out one of his old notebooks from high school from a closet, and sets to work, creating a code for himself so only he could read it. He studied this code, committed it to memory.

ᚠᛁᚱᛥ ᛁᛋ ᛁᚳᚻᛁᛗᚪᛏᛋᚢ. ᚻᛖ ᛚᛁᚹᛖᛋ ᚹᛁᚦ ᚦᚪᛏ ᚳᚩᚢᛈᛚᛖ, ᛒᚢᛏ ᛗᚪᛣᛖᛋ ᚠᚱᛖᛤᚢᛖᚾᛏ ᚹᛁᛋᛁᛏᛋ ᛏᚩ ᚦᛖ ᚪᛚᛚᛖᚣᚹᚪᚣᛋ ᛏᚩ ᚠᛖᛖᛞ ᛥᚱᚪᚣᛋ. ᚻᛖ ᛚᛠᚹᛖᛋ ᛒᛖᛏᚹᛖᛖᚾ 11 ᚪᚾᛞ 1, ᚩᚾᛚᚣ ᚱᛖᛏᚢᚱᚾᛁᛝ ᚪᚠᛏᛖᚱ ᚹᛁᛋᛁᛏᛁᛝ ᚻᛁᛋ ᚠᚱᛖᛤᚢᛖᚾᛏᛖᛞ ᚪᛚᛚᛖᚣᛋ, ᚢᛋᚢᚪᛚᛚᚣ 4-5 ᚻᚩᚢᚱᛋ. ᚻᛖ ᚾᛖᚹᛖᚱ ᛗᛁᛋᛋᛖᛞ ᚪ ᛞᚪᚣ, ᚱᚪᛁᚾ ᚩᚱ ᛋᚻᛁᚾᛖ. ᚻᛖ ᛚᚩᚹᛖᛋ ᚦᛖ ᚹᛁᛚᛖ ᛒᛠᛥᛋ.

ᚦᛖ ᚳᚩᚢᛈᛚᛖ ᛒᚩᚦ ᚹᚩᚱᛣ. ᚦᛖ ᚷᛁᚱᛚ ᚹᚩᚱᛣᛋ ᚪᛋ ᚪᚾ ᚪᚳᚳᚩᚢᚾᛏᚪᚾᛏ ᛁᚾ ᛋᚩᛗᛖ ᚩᚠᚠᛁᚳᛖ, 9-5 ᛈᚪᚳᛖ, ᚪᚾᛞ ᚦᛖ ᚷᚢᚣ ᚹᚩᚱᛣᛋ 10-7 ᚪᛋ ᚪ ᛋᚢᚱᚷᛇᚾ.

ᛋᚩ... ᛋᚻᛖ ᛁᛋ ᚷᚩᚩᛞ ᚹᛁᚦ ᛗᚩᚾᛖᚣ, ᚪᚾᛞ ᚻᛖ ᛁᛋ ᚠᚪᛗᛁᛚᛁᚪᚱ ᚹᛁᚦ ᚦᛖ ᚻᚢᛗᚪᚾ ᛒᚩᛞᚣ. ᚻᚪᚻᚪ! ᚩᚻ ᚻᚩᚾᛖᛥᛚᚣ, ᛁᛏ'ᛋ ᛚᛁᛣᛖ ᚦᛖᚣ'ᚱᛖ ᛏᚱᚣᛁᛝ ᛏᚩ ᛗᚪᛣᛖ ᚦᛁᛋ ᛠᛋᚣ ᚠᚩᚱ ᛗᛖ. ᚪᚠᛏᛖᚱ ᚪᛚᛚ. ᛁ ᚹᚪᛋ ᚩᚾᚳᛖ ᚪᚾ ᚪᛈᛈᚱᛖᚾᛏᛁᚳᛖ ᛏᚩ ᚪ ᚾᚩᛏᚩᚱᛡᚢᛋ ᚳᚱᛁᛗᛁᚾᚪᛚ...

((First is Ichimatsu. He lives with that couple, but makes frequent visits to the alleyways to feed strays. He leaves between 11 and 1, only returning after visiting his frequented alleys, usually 4-5 hours. He never missed a day, rain or shine. He loves the vile beasts.

The couple both work. The girl works as an accountant in some office, 9-5 pace, and the guy works 10-7 as a surgeon.

_So... she is good with money, and he is familiar with the human body. Haha! Oh honestly, it's like they're trying to make this easy for me. After all. I was once an apprentice to a notorious criminal..._))

He met up with _him_; somehow contacting _him_ was easier than he thought. _He'd_ been out of jail for years, but avoided Osomatsu; he'd bested _him_ when he was ten, bet your ass he could do even better now. Osomatsu explained to _him_ what he needed, and the sadistic bastard's grin grew with every word.

Apparently, _he_ and _his_ associates had recently happened upon an unwilling organ donor. She'd only been missing for a couple weeks, and not all of her had been completely disposed of yet.

Oh, what a perfect situation. Osomatsu made a private deal, purchasing not only her leftover bits, but also _his_ services to put together a scene that would be very... heh. convincing.

He relayed their schedules to _him_, and any other information _he'd_ need, including the fact that they'd offered Ichimacchan a key as they'd departed ways one weekend, but he heard Ichimatsu decline the offer, stating that he'd be liable to lose the key were he entrusted with it. And so, they agreed to leave it in a certain place, so that Ichimatsu could access it when necessary. While Osomatsu had expected something cliche like under the doormat or a potted plant, they instead put a magnet beneath the railing across from their door, and secured it there.

That was extremely clever, not gonna lie. Buuuuuut it doesn't do much good when other people can hear you.

The excitement on the twisted fuck's face when Osomatsu told _him_... Osomatsu had absolutely made the right choice in contacting _him_.

The depraved bastard had the entire scheme planned out by early the very next morning. The woman left the house, as usual, at 8 AM. The man, at 9 AM. Ichimatsu left at 1PM on the dot. The soonest anyone would be home is 5PM; 4 hours. Four hours to pull this off. _He_ smirked and promised 2 hours.

Osomatsu stood guard as the others worked, one of them bringing in an unmarked truck and hauling in...dubious looking devices. Osomatsu didn't pay too much mind, and stood vigilant in his appointed responsibility (a strange thing for him, really).

Only an hour and a half later, the sweaty criminals were finished, and invited Osomatsu to see their setup. Apparently, they'd found a locked door which led to a basement. There was a bed there, love hotel-looking decorations, and some amateur-level toys, so it was likely the two would go down there to fuck so as not to disturb Ichimatsu with their activities.

Well, now, it was made to look like an absolute sex dungeon. The fluids from the condoms in the trashcan had been distributed among the various toys, machines, and other setups, that had been placed around the large room. The victim's blood and other things had been placed with careful precision among the things in the room, mostly to one specific set of handcuffs.

There were traces of the poor girl in every...eh. Proper might not be the ideal word...expected? Yes. Expected place. Everything was prepared proficiently and perfectly. As _he_ and Osomatsu parted ways, he gave _him_ an extra bonus for going so all-out, to which _he_ gave that same disturbing, disgusting smile and the words dripped like mucus from _his_ throat, "My pleasure."

These motherfuckers were professionals. There would be no trace of any of them leftover. And so, with everything prepared, Osomatsu went to a payphone, disguise in place and gloves on, and called in an anonymous tip. That an innocent, missing young girl, may have been abducted by this couple, that they'd likely ruined and beaten her, and eventually sold her organs on the black market. And that he suspected they might have a new victim already in their grasp.

The police had arrived within minutes. They had probable cause and broke down the door after no one answered. They quickly discovered the room in the basement, took swabs and analyses, and found that the bits they'd obtained belonged to three people; the couple, and the missing girl. The couple was promptly arrested, confused and terrified.

When Ichimatsu himself had returned home after caring for his beloved feline companions, he found police tape blocking his way. An officer approached him, and after explaining that he lived here, demanded what in the actual motherfucking fuck was going on, was told what the detective knew: that the couple had been involved in the abduction and illegal distribution of the organs of an innocent girl, and that there was a boy, obviously Ichimatsu himself, who was likely next on the hit list.

After being questioned and released, Ichimatsu realizes he has nowhere to go. The first people he believed in besides his family had been only out to kill him, sell his parts, and move on to their next victim. He hates himself for trusting them. He hates himself for believing there was a chance that vermin such as himself could deserve happiness. He doesn't even deserve a quick death. He deserves a painful, drawn-out death, starving and suffering in back alleys, comforted only by trash cans….


	4. Chapter 4

Osomatsu "happens" upon a starving, filthy, miserable Ichimatsu, and immediately runs to his side, kneeling next to him in the dirty alley. Ichimatsu is mostly unresponsive at this point, and doesn't even look directly at his older brother. After some coaxing, he convinces Ichimatsu to return home with him, though his answer had only been a nearly imperceptible nod. He carries his brother bridal style home, setting him down in the entryway, holding up his chin as a silent request for eye contact.

"Hey, Ichimatsu? I won't ask you what happened if you don't want to tell me, but please, please let me help you? I can give you a nice warm bath, and tuck you into the futon. Then I could get you some food. Would you like that, little bro? Some warm food? I can go to Chibita's and get some oden, help feed it to you? And Dr. Pepper, I know you like Dr. Pepper, yeah?

"Alright, you don't need to speak. Just let nii-san help you, okay? C'mon, lets take that bath."

He picks up his little brother, brings him to the bathroom, and starts up a warm bath. He strips him down gently, tossing the clothes in the laundry basket, and eases Ichimatsu into the tub.

He takes special care in every touch, gently scrubbing the grime from his hair, using the softest cloth they have to clean his body, making a mental catalogue of his injuries.

Once Ichimatsu is all cleaned up, he places him on the floor wrapped in a towel. He prepares a toothbrush and brushes his teeth for him. He rushes back to the bedroom to retrieve his pajamas, and hurries back. He dresses his frail brother, and brings him back to their room, sets up the futon, and lays Ichimatsu down, using his own pillow instead of Ichimatsu's.

He tucks the younger in and sings him a lullaby, while petting his hair until sleep takes him over. Smiling fondly at the younger, Osomatsu leaves to acquire the promised food.

He walks faster than he ever has to Chibita's stand, ordering plenty of oden to-go, while making it clear he was in a hurry, dodging questions and avoiding small talk; almost treating the chef like a stranger.

The walk home is more of a jog. He can't leave his poor Ichimatsu all alone for too long, after all. He can count on his nii-san to help him get back to health. It just breaks his heart seeing his little brother in this state. So broken, so depressed, it's just not right! The trash child should be an amusingly comfortable level of depressed, and certainly shouldn't be dying, it's simply horrible for him to be going through this.

He arrives back home in record time, sprinting up the stairs. Upon opening the bedroom door, he finds Ichimatsu wrapped in the comforter, tucked in the corner and ignoring the couple of cats that had come to cheer him up. Silly beasties, this is a job solely reserved for onii-chan.

Osomatsu is careful and slow crossing the room, knowing his brother heard his arrival and not wanting to approach too quickly.

"Ichimacchan… I'm back, I brought the food," he says quietly, seating himself a slight distance from the other. "Here, you look hungry."

He pulls out the oden and chopsticks, getting a small piece and holding it out for his brother. Hesitantly, Ichimatsu's mouth opens slightly. It takes him a minute to open it far enough, and Osomatsu feeds him. It's a very slow-going process, and half an hour later, Ichimatsu indicates he's had enough for now.

Gathering the remaining food, he rushes downstairs to load it into the fridge for later, before returning upstairs. He slowly approaches again and takes his seat in front of the other, inching closer so as to not make him uncomfortable.

Suddenly, the youngers eyes fill with tears, and in the weakest voice he's ever heard, mutters out, "N-nii...san-n…." and moves a fraction of an inch closer himself, inviting his big brother to come closer, he needs to be comforted.

Of course, Osomatsu is more than happy to provide, and envelopes him in his arms, not squeezing too tightly to avoid injury, but enough to provide the needed comfort, confirmation he's not alone, nii-san is here for him. They remain silent save for Ichimatsu's sniffles. He never was a loud crier.

Ichimatsu eventually falls asleep, looking only slightly better than he had previously, but significantly better than when he found him in the alley. He smiles softly and sadly as he runs his fingers through the other's hair.

He stands and retrieves his notebook to continue writing.

ᚪᛋ ᚠᚩᚱ ᛄᚣᚢᛋᚻᛁᛗᚪᛏᛋᚢ, ᚹᛖᛚᛚ, ᚠᚱᚩᛗ ᚹᚻᚪᛏ ᛁ'ᚹᛖ ᚷᚪᚦᛖᚱᛖᛞ, ᚻᛁᛋ ᚹᚩᚱᛣᛈᛚᚪᚳᛖ ᛁᛋ...ᛋᛣᛖᛏᚳᚻᚣ ᚪᛏ ᛒᛖᛥ. ᛈᚱᚩᛒᚪᛒᛚᚣ ᛒᚪᚱᛖᛚᚣ ᛚᛖᚷᚪᛚ. ᛁᚠ ᛚᛖᚷᚪᛚ ᚪᛏ ᚪᛚᛚ. ᛋᚩ ᛁᛏ ᛁᛋ ᚩᚠ ᚳᚩᚢᚱᛋᛖ ᛒᚩᚢᚾᛞ ᛏᚩ ᛒᛖ ᛞᚪᛝᛖᚱᚩᚢᛋ. ᛋᚩ ᚪᚾ ᚪᚳᚳᛁᛞᛖᚾᛏ ᚩᚱ ᛏᚹᚩ ᛋᚻᚩᚢᛚᛞ ᛒᛖ ᛒᚩᚦ ᛖᛉᛈᛖᚳᛏᛖᛞ ᚪᚾᛞ ᛁᛗᛗᛖᛞᛁᚪᛏᛖᛚᚣ ᛞᛁᛋᛗᛁᛋᛋᛖᛞ.

ᛋᚩ ᛈᛖᚱᚠᛖᚳᛏ. ᚻᚩᚾᛖᛥᛚᚣ ᚦᛁᛋ ᛁᛋ ᚪᛚᛗᚩᛥ ᚹᚪᚣ ᛏᚩᚩ ᛠᛋᚣ.

ᚪᛚᛚ ᛁ ᚻᚪᚹᛖ ᛏᚩ ᛞᚩ ᛁᛋ ᚠᚢᚳᛣ ᚢᛈ ᚪᚱᚩᚢᚾᛞ ᚹᛁᚦ ᛋᚩᛗᛖ ᛋᚻᛁᛏ ᚪᚾᛞ ᛗᚪᛣᛖ ᛋᚢᚱᛖ ᚾᚩᛏ ᛏᚩ ᚠᛚᚪᛏ ᚩᚢᛏ ᛣᛁᛚᛚ ᚻᛁᛗ. ᛗᛁᚾᚩᚱ ᚩᚱ ᛗᚪᛄᚩᚱ ᛁᚾᛄᚢᚱᚣ ᚹᚩᚢᛚᛞ ᚹᚩᚱᛣ. ᚦᚪᛏ ᚹᚩᚢᛚᛞ ᛒᛖ ᛋᚩᚩᚩᚩ ᛠᛋᚣ!

[As for Jyushimatsu, well, from what I've gathered, his workplace is...sketchy at best. Probably barely legal. If legal at all. So it is of course bound to be dangerous. So an accident or two should be both expected and immediately dismissed.

So perfect. Honestly this is almost way too easy.

All I have to do is fuck up around with some shit and make sure not to flat out kill him. Minor or major injury would work. That would be soooo easy!]

He grins at the thought. If ruining things on accident came so easy to him, doing it on purpose would be effortless and fun. Ah, hopefully he _doesn't_ accidentally kill the poor dumbass. That would be rather counterproductive, considering a full reunion is his end goal. Ah he'd be so sad if such a fate befell one of them.

Well, he's sure it'll work out.

Next up, Karamacchu.

ᛣᚪᚱᚪᛗᚪᛏᛋᚢ ᚻᚪᛋ ᛒᛖᛖᚾ ᛚᛁᚹᛁᛝ ᚹᛁᚦ ᚳᚻᛁᛒᛁᛏᚪ. ᚹᛖᛚᛚ, ᛥᚪᚣᛁᛝ ᚹᛁᚦ ᚩᚢᚱ ᚩᛚᛞ ᚳᚻᛁᛚᛞᚻᚩᚩᛞ ᚠᚱᛁᛖᚾᛞ...ᚳᚻᚪᛝᛖᛋ ᚦᛁᛝᛋ. ᛁ'ᛚᛚ ᚾᛖᛖᛞ ᛏᚩ ᛒᛖ ᚳᚪᚢᛏᛡᚢᛋ ᚹᛁᚦ ᚦᛁᛋ ᚩᚾᛖ. ᚪᚠᛏᛖᚱ ᚪᛚᛚ…

ᚪᚠᛏᛖᚱ ᛁ ᛣᛁᛚᛚ ᚻᛁᛗ, ᚹᛖ'ᛚᛚ ᚻᚪᚹᛖ ᛏᚩ ᛒᛖ ᛋᚢᚱᛖ ᛏᚩ ᚱᛖᛗᚩᚹᛖ ᚪᛚᛚ ᛏᚱᚪᚳᛖᛋ ᚩᚠ ᚩᚢᚱᛋᛖᛚᚹᛖᛋ. ᚻᚩᛈᛖᚠᚢᛚᛚᚣ ᚾᚩᛏ ᛏᚩᚩ ᛗᚪᚾᚣ ᛈᛇᛈᛚᛖ ᛣᚾᚩᚹ ᚻᛖ ᚹᚪᛋ ᚦᛖᚱᛖ. ᚳᚩᚾᚹᛁᚾᚳᛁᛝ ᚦᛖ ᚱᛖᛥ ᛏᚩ ᛣᛖᛖᛈ ᛤᚢᛁᛖᛏ ᛋᚻᚩᚢᛚᛞᚾ'ᛏ ᛒᛖ ᛞᛁᚠᚠᛁᚳᚢᛚᛏ.

ᛁ ᚷᚢᛖᛋᛋ ᛁ ᚳᚪᚾ ᛞᛠᛚ ᚹᛁᚦ ᚦᚪᛏ ᛚᚪᛏᛖᚱ… ᚩᚾᚳᛖ ᛁ ᚳᚩᚾᚹᛁᚾᚳᛖ ᚦᛖ ᛈᚪᛁᚾᚠᚢᛚ ᛚᛁᛏᛏᛚᛖ ᛒᚪᛥᚪᚱᛞ ᛏᚩ ᚳᚩᛗᛖ ᚻᚩᛗᛖ.

ᚪᚻ, ᛒᚢᛏ ᚦᚪᛏ'ᛚᛚ ᛒᛖ ᛋᚩ ᛋᚪᛞ. ᚻᛖ'ᛚᛚ ᚳᚩᛗᛖ ᚻᚩᛗᛖ ᛏᚩ ᚪ ᛚᛁᛏᛖᚱᚪᛚ ᛗᚢᚱᛞᛖᚱ ᛋᚳᛖᚾᛖ. ᛈᚩᚩᚱ ᚦᛁᛝ'ᛋ ᚷᚩᚾᚾᚪ ᛒᛖ ᛏᚱᚪᚢᛗᚪᛏᛁᛉᛖᛞ. ᚾᚩᛏ ᚩᚾᛚᚣ ᚹᛁᚦ ᚻᛖ ᛚᛠᚱᚾ ᛏᚹᚩ ᚩᚠ ᚻᛁᛋ ᛒᚱᚩᚦᛖᚱᛋ ᚪᚱᛖ ᚾᚩᛏ ᚩᛣᚪᚣ, ᛒᚢᛏ ᚻᛖ ᚻᛁᛗᛋᛖᛚᚠ ᚹᛁᛚᛚ ᛒᛖ ᚾᚩᛏ ᚩᛣᚪᚣ. ᚻᛖ'ᛚᛚ ᚳᚱᚣ ᛋᚩ ᛗᚢᚳᚻ, ᚦᛖ ᚳᚱᚣᛒᚪᛒᚣ. ᚻᚩᛈᛖᚠᚢᛚᛚᚣ ᚦᛖᚱᛖ'ᛋ ᚾᚩᛏ ᛏᚩᚩ ᛗᚢᚳᚻ ᛖᚹᛁᛞᛖᚾᚳᛖ ᚩᚠ ᚻᛁᛋ ᛥᚪᚣ ᚦᛖᚱᛖ. ᚦᚪᛏ'ᛚᛚ ᛒᛖ ᚪ ᛈᚪᛁᚾ ᛁᚾ ᚦᛖ ᚪᛋᛋ.

[Karamatsu has been living with Chibita. Well, staying with our old childhood friend...changes things. I'll need to be cautious with this one. After all...

After I've killed him, we'll have to be sure to remove all traces of ourselves. Hopefully not too many people know he was there. Convincing the rest to keep quiet shouldn't be difficult.

I guess I can deal with that later… Once I convince the painful little bastard to come home.

Ah, but that'll be so sad. He'll come home at Chibita's to a literal murder scene. Poor thing's gonna be traumatized. Not only with he learn two of his brothers are Not Okay, but he himself will be Not Okay. He'll cry so much, the crybaby. Hopefully there's not too much evidence of his stay there. That'll be a pain in the ass.]

He can't help the smirk that grows on his face. He wouldn't ever have to pay his stupid tab.

He sets the notebook down and hops off the couch, checking up on Ichimatsu. He's snoring lightly, with a small frown on his face, eyebrows creased. Osomatsu frowns. He plops down beside Ichimatsu, combing through his hair again and humming lightly until he sees the crease disappear and the frown ease up. He chuckles to himself as he stands and return to the couch, taking up his notebook.

Now for the bitch baby.

ᚩᚻ, ᛏᚩᛏᛏᚣ… ᛖᚹᛖᚱᚣ ᚾᛁᚸᛏ, ᚣᚩᚢ ᚳᚱᚣ ᚪᚾᛞ ᚳᚱᚣ ᚳᚱᚪᚹᛚᛁᛝ ᛏᚩ ᚦᛖ ᛒᚪᚦᚱᚩᚩᛗ, ᛏᛖᚱᚱᛁᚠᛁᛖᛞ ᚩᚠ ᚹᚻᚪᛏ ᛚᚢᚱᛣᛋ ᛁᚾ ᚦᛖ ᛞᚪᚱᛣ, ᛈᛖᛏᚱᛁᚠᛁᛖᛞ ᚹᛁᚦᚩᚢᛏ ᚣᚩᚢᚱ ᛒᛁᚷ ᛒᚱᚩᚦᛖᚱᛋ ᚦᛖᚱᛖ ᛏᚩ ᛈᚱᚩᛏᛖᚳᛏ ᚣᚩᚢ. ᛋᚩᚩ… ᛏᚩ ᛈᚢᛚᛚ ᚣᚩᚢ ᛒᚪᚳᛣ ᛁᚾ, ᚣᚩᚢ ᛄᚢᛥ ᚻᚪᚹᛖ ᛏᚩ ᛒᛖ ᛋᚩ ᚪᚠᚱᚪᛁᛞ, ᛋᚩ ᛏᚱᚪᚢᛗᚪᛏᛁᛉᛖᛞ ᚪᚾᛞ ᛋᛚᛖᛖᛈ-ᛞᛖᛈᚱᛁᚹᛖᛞ, ᚣᚩᚢ ᚳᚪᚾ'ᛏ ᛖᚹᛖᚾ ᚠᚢᚾᚳᛏᛡᚾ. ᛒᚢᛏ ᛞᚩᚾ'ᛏ ᚹᚩᚱᚱᚣ, ᛒᚪᛒᚣ ᛒᚱᚩᚦᛖᚱ. ᚩᚾᛖ ᛞᚪᚣ ᛁ'ᛚᛚ ᚻᚪᚹᛖ ᚣᚩᚢ ᚱᛖᛚᚣ ᚩᚾ ᛗᛖ ᚠᚩᚱ ᚾᛠᚱᛚᚣ ᛖᚹᛖᚱᚣᚦᛁᛝ. ᚦᚪᛏ ᚹᚪᚣ, ᛗᚣ ᛞᚪᚱᛚᛁᛝ ᛞᚱᚣ ᛗᚩᚾᛥᛖᚱ, ᚣᚩᚢ ᚹᛁᛚᛚ ᚾᛖᚹᛖᚱ ᚹᚪᚾᛏ ᛏᚩ ᛚᛠᚹᛖ ᛗᛖ ᚪᚷᚪᛁᚾ. ᚣᚩᚢ ᚾᛖᛖᛞ ᛗᛖ.

[Oh, Totty… Every night, you cry and cry crawling to the bathroom, terrified of what lurks in the dark, petrified without your big brothers there to protect you. Soo… To pull you back in, you just have to be so afraid, so traumatized and sleep-deprived, you can't even function. But don't worry, baby brother. One day I'll have you rely on me for nearly everything. That way, my darling dry monster, you will never want to leave me again. You need me.]

Scaring him every night shouldn't be difficult. He's afraid of everything, after all. Heh, he might even be able to have fun with it! Tormenting the little shit…

And finally. Choroshikoski…

A whimper from the trash heap on the floor pulls him from his plotting planning, and he sets it aside to comfort the poor thing.


	5. Chapter 5

'What a beautiful day,' he thinks, watching the rain pouring down. A great excuse, especially. Convincing Ichimatsu he's going to be feeding the strays for him will be easy, even though, let's be real, he's not doing that shit. He has a workplace to fuck up.

He tucks his brother in with a peck on the head and another reassurance that he won't miss an alley, before he heads out.

As glad as he is that he convinced his parents to go on a vacation without him, it would be nice to have someone around to look after Ichimatsu in his absence. But alas, the poor thing would just have to wait for his return. Besides, their parents would just be a hindrance on his plans, and if he is going to pull off an accident, framing, murder, etc., he needs every advantage.

He pulls on his coat and leaves, taking a back way to Jyushimatsu's workplace. His current project involves some kind of machine Osomatsu knows nothing about. Not that he needs to know.

He sneaks into the facility, a massive smile on his face just in case he's seen and needs to be a convincing Jyushimatsu. He feels fucking ridiculous. That absolute moron, how does he keep it up? Osomatsu finds it almost admirable, but takes into account that his brother is probably too stupid to feel silly.

He slips in successfully without being noticed, peeking around to find that obnoxious smile. Ah, there he is. Dumbass doesn't know what's coming. Okay, hiding place, hiding place... Aha! Osomatsu finds a spot behind stacks of boxes covered in dust. Hopefully that means no one will be using them anytime soon.

He stays where he can remain hidden while stalking following his brother. Turns out, the poor dear's bullied here by most of his coworkers. He's apparently gotten a reputation as a klutz, not because he is (even though he really is) but because his coworkers sabotage him. Tripping him, bumping into him, distracting him. Osomatsu makes a mental note to mess around with their stuff too.

Oh, hey, Hatabou works here.

Osomatsu waits patiently until Jyushimatsu gets a certain look on his face, one that Osomatsu knows by now is an indication that he has to shit. Jyushimatsu timidly excuses himself. Hurriedly, Osomatsu changes into the uniform he found conveniently placed on the shelves near his boxes.

He puts on his best Jyushimatsu, and steps out into the fray.

Imitating his younger brother is easy enough, until he gets closer to the other workers. Unfortunately, Osomatsu is, contrary to likely popular belief, not especially clumsy, especially in his current mindset. The reason this situation is unfortunate is because when one worker puts out a foot to discreetly trip him, obliviously believing him to be Jyushimatsu himself he accidentally starts to dodge.

Instead, he allows that action, falling to the ground, smiling through the mocking ridicule that shall follow him. He clearly wants to beat this guy to a pulp, but refrains, continuing on to the machines.

He opens up some kind of panel and screws around with it. He takes some nearby tools and fucks around with the machine some more. He gives it a kick and it shudders, clearly in a way it shouldn't. As he stands up straight he makes eye contact with an employee. Ah, he did all that in plain view...oops. Luckily his smile is still in place. He lets it shift just to this side of dangerous and the other man breaks eye contact.

Osomatsu walks towards the bathroom, sticking a few screws into other peoples' machines as he goes.

Entering the bathroom he manages to slip into a stall just as he hears Jyushimatsu's relieved just-shat sigh. He waits for the other to wash up and leave before sneaking back out of the building, changing back into his clothes and disposing of the uniform.

He gets back home about five hours after he left and finds the sweetly still sleeping trash child cuddling with Osomatsu's pillow. He smiles brightly at this before changing out of his wet clothes. Now dry and warm, he starts making up dinner, waiting for the inevitable phone call.

Feeding Ichimatsu, he can barely hide his grin at the ringing of the phone. He excuses himself to answer, unsurprised and unconcerned at the lack of reaction.

"Matsuno residence, Osomatsu speaking," he tries his best to not sound smug as the receptionist on the other line informs him, much too bubbly for the subject matter, that there was an accident at Jyushimatsu's work and of Jyushimatsu's subsequent injury. Of course the clumsy fuck went and got himself hurt. Is anyone surprised?

Half feigning worry and half genuinely worried (oh, no! His little ball of sunshine got hurt?!) he decides to take Ichimatsu to the hospital with him. Maybe seeing his yellow sibling will help him a bit with the depression he's fallen so deep into. Osomatsu's rather glad he's so far gone, though. It means the chances of him confiding in anyone what happened while he was away from home are practically nonexistent. Sadly that includes Osomatsu himself, but he figures better safe than sorry.

They arrive at the hospital and hurry to Jyushimatsu's room, entering immediately. They find the fifth born all banged and bandaged up, which seems to spark something in Ichimatsu, his concern becomes apparent as he rushes to the other's side, demanding answers and speaking more than he has since he came back home.

"Yeah, Jyushimatsu, what on earth happened to you, little brother?"

"Haha! Well, there was a-... an accident! At work! Hah, probably my bad, my bad! But now I can't work for a while..."

A quick look exchanged between the elder two communicates that they both know something was amiss with his story. A terrible liar, truly.

And luckily, very easy to manipulate...

"Ichimatsu, can you go get us some juice from the machine? Here's some money," translation: let big brother get to the bottom of this

With a tiny nod, Ichimatsu accepts the money and trudges off.

Settling down, Osomatsu can't get a word in before the bright idiot begins sobbing.

"They think I did it, Nii-san! Everyone there always bullied me, they must have hurt my machine! They keep saying I was the one who did it, but I didn't! They said they saw me messing around with all the machines! No one believes me!"

Osomatsu frowns and hugs the crying kiddo. "Hey, now, little brother, it's okay, yosh, yosh. Nii-san believes you. I believe you didn't screw around with any of the machines."

This brings harder tears.

"They fired me and won't pay compensation because I 'did it on purpose', what do I do?!"

Smiling discreetly into Jyushimatsu's hair, our hero begins "Well, you're going to come home, where no one bullies you like the outside world does. You're going to come home with the people who love you. You're going to help me with Ichimatsu..." he baits, and the other takes it.

"I-Ichimatsu-niisan? What happened?"

"He won't tell me. I found him dying in some back alley. he's still so frail and thin, and he barely speaks..."

And, hooked.

The look on Jyushimatsu's usually joyful face is pricelessly heartbreaking.

"Nii-san's going to die?"

A reassuring grin and a hair ruffle, "Not if we can help it. So what do you say? You want to help Ichimatsu? You want to be loved and not bullied?"

A serious nod.

Two down, three to go.


	6. Chapter 6

Osomatsu smiles brightly at the two brothers cuddled up on the futon. Jyushimatsu has made it his personal mission to make sure Ichimatsu doesn't die. Poor thing is terrified of that possibility. With a chuckle, he writes a quick note 'be back soon! -Onii-chan', and heads off to Chibita's.

It's been two days since Jyushimatsu came home. He's mostly taken over the job of Ichimatsu's caretaker, as well as he can with a broken arm. Osomatsu is fine with this, it means he'll have more time for the others when they get back.

For the past week, he's been keeping an eye on Karamatsu and Chibita, as well as paying nightly visits to Todomatsu, laughing maniacally outside his window, casting shadows, making noises, anything to keep the dry monster awake and afraid. The sounds of sobbing and shrieking seem to be a good indication. Good for a nice chuckle too.

As for Karamatsu and Chibita, they don't actually spend much time together. Chibita works the cart in the evening, staying home or shopping in the mornings. Karamatsu usually heads out early, sleeps in the evening and writes something, presumably a résumé or job applications at night. As skilled as Osomatsu prides himself on being at knowing everything, even he's not quite that good.

After careful consideration, he decides today is the day. Karamatsu is coming home.

Of course, that means that today, he will commit his first _real_ crime, but hey, oh, well, amiright?

Oh, and his poor baby bro is about to develop severe PTSD, but frankly that only aids in Osomatsu's end goal. Even if it didn't, who cares? It's only Kusomatsu, after all.

Now, where were we? Ah! Yes. Chibita. Well first, let's go and make sure Karappi ain't at home. Osomatsu can't help his grin as he walks along. He gets closer to the bridge and peeks around a building at it. Bingo. There he is, staring at the water, wearing his lame-ass leather jacket. What a fuckin' tool. Typically after this he'd hit up a bar, go to Chibita's stand for dinner, then go home and sleep till Chibita would get home. So, assuming he follows routine, we've got plenty of time! Time to go see little Chibita~

*knock, knock* Osomatsu is _giddy_, just so excited, a maniacal smile on his face despite his (admittedly minimal) efforts to contain it.

After a groan is heard from the other side, the door swings open to reveal a disheveled Chibita, who had clearly been sleeping in today. Osomatsu's curiosity piques, and he decides to converse a bit before carrying on with his plan.

"What. Do. You. Want."

_Oh, goodness me! It appears someone is in a bad mood! Well, luckily that won't last long~_

Osomatsu giggles at the thought, before inviting himself in, setting his plastic grocery bag beside his shoes as he slips them off. The sleeves of his long-sleeved shirt have been itchy since he donned the damn thing this morning, and he honestly doesn't see how people can wear sweatpants every day, they're so baggy and uncomfortable. He'd have to try on Trashmatsu's sometime, maybe it's just these brand new black ones that are uncomfortable.

"Hey, Chibita! It's not like you to sleep in, what's up?" Not that he cares, just wondering if it has to do with Karamatsu. He strolls into the living area and plops down by the table.

Chibita looks beyond annoyed and quite offended at Osomatsu's self-invitation. Regardless, he shuts the door and sits opposite Osomatsu, and begins with a sigh, "Kara-boy is convinced someone is out to get him. He said he feels like someone is always following him, and even says he sees someone out the window at night. I've told the idjit-" Osomatsu involuntarily glares and the insult directed at his immediate younger brother, despite it being hardly an insult coming from Chibita by now "-it's just the neighbors, but he insists someone's stalking him or something."

Osomatsu is miffed. His empty-headed idiot of a brother is catching on? And here he thought he was doing such a good job.

"Well, that's weird. Usually Karamatsu isn't so paranoid. Then again, he does think the world revolves around him."

"Yeah, he's probably just imagining things. It's not like someone's gonna come in and kill us."

Osomatsu laughs. Chibita chuckles along, incorrectly assuming Osomatsu was laughing at his joke.

Stifling his laughter, Osomatsu stands and walks over to the kitchen.

"So you were up late talking about that?"

"Yeah, the idjit-" another glare "-wanted me to see the person. We didn't end up seeing anyone, tch. Stayed up for nothing." He yawns, still sitting at the table. "Today he said he was gonna try to find out who his supposed stalker is. I think he's being over dramatic."

"That is his specialty."

Ah, thank you, dear Chibita, for keeping your knives so nice and sharp~

He picks through the knives in the knife block, before selecting one with a smile.

"So, whatcha come over for, Osomatsu?"

Osomatsu turns to him with a grin, holding the knife.

"Oh, just getting Karamatsu to come home. Nothing personal~"

He dashes forward, and before Chibita can register, buries the blade in his stomach. Chibita stills in shock, a pained whimper escapes his lips and the blade withdraws, before plunging in again. And again. And again.

Well, that was fun! After some time, the apartment is covered in blood, chunks of carved up Chibita scattered around. Osomatsu changes into the outfit he brought with him and puts his bloodied clothes into the plastic bag. As he passes a trash heap, he disposes of it there. He whistles a cheerful tune as he walks.

"Osomatsu?"

He pauses an turns to the voice.

"Ah! There you are, Karamatsu! I've been looking for you."

"You have? Check the bridge next time, that's where I've been all day."

Osomatsu nods, before gesturing for them to keep walking. They head in the direction of Chibita's place.

"So, what did you need, Aniki? You seem in a good mood."

Osomatsu's smile drops. "Ah, yeah. Not really. Just happy two of our brothers are back home. Not happy about the circumstances, though."

"Oh? What happened, pray tell?"

As they walk, Osomatsu relays the information to Karamatsu, pleased with the expression of utter distress covering his features.

"But they'll be okay, won't they?"

"I hope so. I'm doing the best I can but it's hard to do it all alone, y'know?"

That's a lie. He can handle it easily, especially since the two at home take care of each other. But it's good incentive to make him want to come back and help. He looks conflicted, then stops short.

"Hmm? What is it?"

Karamatsu looks even more distressed.

"Chibita's not here," he says, looking in front of him at where the cart should be.

"Maybe he's got a late start?" Osomatsu suggests, feeling giddy again. Oh, so soon, so soon!

Karamatsu gulps and starts speedwalking to Chibita's house, explaining, "I think someone's been following me lately. I've seen a mysterious figure creeping around outside of Chibita's abode, though he doubts my claims. I'm concerned for him. Perhaps this fiend has been targeting him rather than myself as I had previously assumed," he shifts gears to a light jog as he speaks.

"Ah, I'm sure it's fine, Karamatsu. You worry too much," he rubs under his nose, keeping up pace.

"I hope you're right, _brother_."

The closer they get, the more excited Osomatsu becomes, already preparing his big brother mode for the inevitable.

Finally, they arrive at Chibita's place, and Karamatsu fishes out his key, only to find the door already unlocked. A glance back at Osomatsu, which he responds to with a shrug, he pushes the door open…

And shrieks.

Blood. Everywhere, everything is covered in blood. On the floor, beside a knife and resting in a large pool of blood, is what remains of Chibita. His eyes have been gouged out. His face skinned, lips removed, tongue cut out. Intestines spilling from the gaping hole of his midsection. Clothes torn and bones clearly visible, sliced and diced, yet his single hair remains intact. Large chunks of flesh removed and scattered about the room. The mutilated corpse of what once was Chibita.

Osomatsu lets Karappi drink it all in, lets the scene burn into his memory, before sidling up to him and tucking his head into his shoulder. He immediately melts into the comfort, shaking as sobs build up.

"Karamatsu, did… Did you do this? I won't tell if you did."

Karamatsu looks even more horrified.

"O-of course not! I… I don't… I couldn't…"

"Shh… Okay, it's okay. I'm sorry, but I had to ask," he shuffles them inside, despite Karamatsu's protests. "We shouldn't draw attention, we've got to figure out what to do."

Karamatsu stares at Osomatsu for a moment before shouting, "What are you talking about?! We need to call the police!"

Osomatsu grimaces, lightly placing a hand on Karamatsu's shoulder.

"Listen… This doesn't look good for you, I'm not going to lie," he looks his brother in the eye, "If we call the cops, they'll think you did it."

With a look of shock and horror, he shakes his head.

"N-no, but, I didn't! It-it must have b-been that stalker!"

"Did you report anything about this stalker?"

"Well...no…"

"Then I doubt they'll believe you… Even I thought it might have been you."

Tears continue streaming as his face twists in despair.

Osomatsu takes a deep breath.

"Look, I have an idea. Here's what we'll do. We'll get rid of every trace of you having stayed here. You'll come home where it's safe. Whoever did this can't get to you. We'll tell the others to keep quiet about your stay here. Then we can report him missing in a few days. Okay? Everything will work out, Onii-chan will make sure of it. Just trust me."

He still looks unsure, but nods.

They gather his belongings, going as far as taking his discarded writings out of the trash cans, careful not to disturb the scene, and head home, never to speak of this again.

Two to go.


	7. Chapter 7

A scream pulls Osomatsu away from making lunch. He runs up the stairs to the bedroom, finding Karamatsu sitting up in his spot on the futon, whimpering. He's pulled into a tight embrace with a very concerned Ichimatsu, shooshing him and stroking his hair. To his left, Jyushimatsu pats his back with his good hand, smile gone, as it has been since he left the hospital. The scene is heartbreaking and adorable at once.

"Another nightmare?" Osomatsu needlessly asks, entering the room. As he approaches, Ichimatsu releases Karamatsu, who dives into Osomatsu's open arms.

"Aniki…" he cries, burrowing further into his big brother's chest. It's so cute, Osomatsu can't help but chuckle. He holds the younger close to him and hums to him until the crying dies down.

"Karamatsu," he starts, slowly pulling away. "I need to finish making lunch. Okay?"

Karamatsu begins to protest, but Osomatsu cuts him off. "Ichimatsu and Jyushimatsu are probably hungry."

Of course, the kind soul relents then. Anything for his brothers and all that.

Osomatsu smiles, half as reassurance to Karamatsu, half in amusement at how easy it is to manipulate him.

He leaves him in the others' care, sighing happily at the sight of Ichimatsu and Karamatsu latching immediately back onto each other.

Back in the kitchen, he finishes up making their soup and sandwiches.

"Jyushimatsu," he calls, "please come set the table. He assumes the other two are still busy in their embrace.

The dulled-out ball of sunshine trudges in. He's happy to help, or would be if he could still feel happy. No one but Osomatsu has smiled in so long.

He helps Osomatsu bring the dishes to the table, then they call down the other two.

It takes a while for them to separate, but eventually Karamatsu calms down enough, and they all take a seat at the table. They say thanks and the four begin eating.

Ah, four. So close!

It has been three days since Karamatsu came home. They didn't tell the others why he came home, just said that something serious and bad happened. They were okay with leaving it there, Karamatsu has been plagued by nightmares whenever he sleeps. The first time it happened, Osomatsu had been out (terrorizing Totty), and since Ichimatsu was closest, he'd clung to him. Since then, Ichimatsu had apparently decided to make it his duty to comfort the second born at a moment's notice whenever needed. Osomatsu likes to think it's because he likes the physical affection of it and being relied on, but only Ichimatsu knows if that's true.

Osomatsu helps Jyushimatsu eat his sandwich, as it's difficult with one hand. He might have found it surprising, at least his past self, how easily he takes on the role of doting caretaker to all of his brothers and especially how much he enjoys it.

Once they finish eating, Karamatsu does the dishes, and Osomatsu allows Ichimatsu to go see his cats, provided Jyushimatsu goes with. Osomatsu has plans today anyways. Once Karamatsu finishes the dishes, Osomatsu tells him to stay awake until he returns, maybe do chores to pass the time.

He doesn't tell him he doesn't plan on coming back tonight.

As Osomatsu walks, he reflects. Ah, he is such a good brother, getting all of them back together, going as far as literally killing for his brothers. He remembers the whole killing process in great deal. The way the blade carved through flesh so easily, sharp enough to cut smoothly through muscle. He's still surprised how long Chibita lived through the process. He'd still been alive when Osomatsu carved the hole in his stomach and showed him his own insides. The look on his face was priceless. He had tried to scream but just choked on blood. It had been so funny, watching him his face was pretty interesting. That's about when the poor bastard died.

Osomatsu kind of wishes he'd just killed that couple instead of what he did, just out of curiosity of what it'd be like to kill someone else, but multiple murders would've been hard to pull off. Plus that would've been more work than fun. Oh, well!

Now, just because he liked killing Chibita doesn't mean he's some kind of psycho! He's just taking pride in his work~

Osomatsu arrives at Todomatsu's apartment. He snorts at the screech he hears when he knocks. Poor thing.

The door opens to reveal a very disheveled Todomatsu, who obviously has barely, if at all, slept in days. Thank Osomatsu for that, heheh.

"Totty! Nii-chan's here!" he announces. He invites himself in, much like he did at Chibita's, taking off his shoes at the door.

"Osomatsu-niisan? What are you doing here?"

"Checking up on my baby brother!"

Todomatsu follows him in, shutting the door behind him, and they sit at the table. "Why?"

A somber expression takes over Osomatsu's face. "Well, I'm worried. See..."

He vaguely explains the basics of what's been happening to the others.

Todomatsu listens with a disconnected look. He seems concerned, but something about Osomatsu's voice must be… lulling…

"Ah, Totty? Are you listening?"

"Hmm? Ah... yeah. That's all pretty… not good, huh?" he says, his head starting to lol forward.

"Totty."

"Yeah?" he says, jolting back up. "What's up, nii-san?"

Osomatsu smiles at him. "Todomatsu, you seem tired. Want me to go so you can sleep?"

That brought some energy back into the youngest. "No! I-I mean. No. You can stay."

"...Todomatsu. What's going on? You seem exhausted. You can talk to me about it, y'kno."

Todomatsu seems to think for a moment. "But, Nii-san, you have so much else to worry about. With Ichimatsu-niisan, and Jyushimatsu-niisan, and-and now Karamatsu-niisan-"

"I'm gonna stop you right there. Yes, I have a lot to worry about. But the four of us are together to handle it. And Nii-chan can be here for you, too. Totty, I promise, for now at least, Karamatsu can handle things back home, and the other two can handle him as well. At this moment, I am here for you. So tell me what's wrong."

Totty tries to keep a stiff upper lip for all of ten seconds, before it trembles, and he bursts into tears, throwing himself at his eldest brother.

"I'm so scared, Osomatsu-niisan!" he cries. "I can't sleep, I'm so scared. I hear things. Almost every night. And I see things. I just know something's out there, something wants to get me, and-and if I sleep, it's gonna, it's gonna get me, I don't know what it is but-"

Osomatsu can barely understand the words between the sobs, but nods and comfortingly tucks his baby brother into his chest. The moment he's sure the other can't see his face, a grin breaks it. He could almost cackle in delight at the way things are turning out. How predictably pathetic this little one is. He fights the malicious joy to stay out of his voice as he comforts, "Oh, little brother, have you been having nightmares again?"

"N-no!" he chokes out, "I have hardly slept! It'll get me, I've been awake so much, I'm so tired. I don't know what to do…"

"Shh," the grin tones down, a soft smile instead covering his features as he rocks the boy in his arms. "Hey, how about this. I'll spend the night here, you can sleep. Nii-chan will keep you safe and sound. Heh, you already seem like you're drifting off. Crying took a lot outta you, huh? C'mon. Get into bed. I'm here."

He navigates Todomatsu over to the closet, helps him roll out the futon, and lays him down in it. He places the pillow on his own lap, and pats it, signalling Totty to lay his head on it.

"But, won't you be uncom-"

"Don't worry, Totty," Osomatsu whispers. "I'll be fine. Just lay down and sleep now. I'll be here. Shh, now."

The other complies, resting his head on the pillow, while Osomatsu begins finger combing his hair. He falls asleep within moments, snoring so lightly you can barely hear it. Ahh, so cute, my little brother is, Osomatsu thinks, watching him sleep so deeply already.

They stay that way until morning breaks, and Todomatsu blinks at the sunlight filtering in through the window. Osomatsu, true to his word, remains in place, still diligently awake, protecting him.

"Good morning," Osomatsu softly sings. He giggles as he younger blinks awake. "Did you sleep well?"

"I… I did," he says incredulously, sitting up. "I didn't hear anything. I didn't have any nightmares!"

"I'm glad," Osomatsu smiles, which grows when Todomatsu suddenly hugs him tightly.

"Thank you, Nii-san. Thank you. That's the most and best I've slept in weeks!"

The hugs goes on for a while, before Osomatsu pulls away. "Totty…" he begins. "I was thinking last night. And I think, you might want to at least consider… coming back home. At least for a while. I mean, if you have hardly slept in weeks, that never happened back home. And I never heard anything last night. I just… Todomatsu, I _promise_, you will always be safe with me. And you could help out back home if you want to, and we can all help you. I just think it might be for the best. I won't make you, or pressure you, but I will ask you to please, at least think about it.

Halfway through his suggestion, Totty had looked down, hands on his lap, chewing on his bottom lip. "But… I just got out. If I come back, I might never leave."

"You don't know that for sure. Maybe you're just not ready. It was a rushed decision, after all. And it's okay to not be ready. Plus, you don't have to decide right away. Anywhere down the line, if you want to come back, you can."

Todomatsu sniffles, then begins to cry. "I wanna go home!" The tears begin flowing, and Osomatsu pulls him back into a hug, holding him close.

"Alright, Totty. Let's go home."


	8. Chapter 8

Osomatsu and Todomatsu hold hands the whole way home. They don't speak. Todomatsu never really stops crying until they finally reach the house. He wipes the tears the best he can.

Osomatsu reaches for the door, pausing to look at the youngest. "Ready?" He asks.

Totty nods, putting on his brave face. This makes Osomatsu smile, and he opens the door. Immediately, Jyushimatsu is there, hugging Osomatsu. The other two come swarming as well.

"Where were you?" Jyushimatsu demands.

"Todomatsu?" Karamatsu notices.

Osomatsu hugs the second youngest back, laughing lightly. "Sorry, guys. Spent the night at Totty's." He herds them all in to the table, where a large breakfast created by Karamatsu sits waiting.

Osomatsu suggests that they eat, so they all do. Karamatsu presses for more information as to why he didn't come home last night. So Osomatsu shares what happened, though the youngest insists he wasn't that scared.

Cuz, Totty.

"It's okay to be afraid, Todomatsu," Karamatsu says almost defensively. Whether defending Totty or himself is debatable. Maybe both.

Totty shrugs.

Osomatsu just observes. He's so happy. Just one left. No murder, framing, impersonation, or sleep deprivation. It'll be simple, but difficult to get that far.

He's already burned his notebook, but he's got his last plan down in his mind already.

A yawn from Karamatsu brings him around again. Oh, he probably followed instructions and stayed awake.

Once they finish breakfast, Osomatsu insists that everyone huddle up to take a nap. Totty would sleep better with a brother on either side, and Karamatsu needs to be beside Ichimatsu.

Osomatsu, however, has other plans.

"But, Nii-san!" Totty whines. "You said-"

"I know, but Nii-chan has to run an errand. I'll be back soon!"

"An errand? What is it?"

"Don't worry, Karamachu, it's a surprise! Now come on, get in." He waves them all into the futon.

_He_ is waiting. He has to get going. Once they're all tucked in, he gives them each a forehead kiss. For once, they all accept. He smiles.

Osomatsu gathers his wallet and borrowed phone. He shoots _him_ a quick text.

'on my way'

They hadn't done this since he was ten, but he still remembers what to do.

•••

Teaming up with _him_ was a great idea. Not only could he now pay expenses until his parents got back, he could afford the "supplies" he needs.

He turned to _him_, "Thanks, old man. One last favour. Here's what I need."

"Hmm? Candy? Magazines, cat food, roh… huh. You're a weird one, Osomatsu-kun. Come with me."

_He_ leads Osomatsu a few blocks away, stopping at convenience stores along the way. They stop at a shady looking bar. Osomatsu is still pumping adrenaline, so he doesn't much care. _He_ goes to a side door in an alley so nasty, even the alley cats seem to avoid it.

A special knock opens the door. A hushed conversation is had. The door closes. A few minutes later, it opens. _He_ approaches the door again, handing over money, and is handed a discreet paper bag. _He_ thanks the person on the other side, and hands the bag to Osomatsu.

"That's everything on your list, kid. Better get home~" _His_ voice is sickeningly saccharine. But, through his distaste, Osomatsu knows _he's_ right.

Saying his thanks, he takes off, arriving home much later than intended. The four seem to have eaten lunch, but not dinner. Osomatsu apologizes for running late, saying he stopped to feed all the cats. They believe him. Good.

Always believe in Onii-chan.


End file.
